Stuffing box



E. c.- READ STUFFING BOX Original Filed Feb. 3, 1957 July y,15, 1947.

Patented July 15, 1947 STUFFIN G BOX Everett C. Read, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to The Filer & Stowell Co., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application June 3, 1942, Serial No. 445,619, which is a division of application Serial No. 123,789, February 3, 1937, now Patent No. 2,300,747,

dated November 3, 1942.

Divided and this application April 1, 1943, Serial No. 481,438

(Cl. 30S-36.1)

2 Claims.

This invention relates in general to steam engines and more particularly to an improved stuifing box or packing gland construction employed in such engines for establishing a steam tight joint between the piston rod of the engine and the cylinder head through which the piston rod slides or reciprocates.

The present application is a division of my application 'for Steam engines, filed June 3, 1942, Serial No. 445,619, which in turn is a division of my application led February 3, 1937, Serial No. 123,789, for Steam engines, now Patent No. 2,300,747, issued November 3, 1942.

Insteam engines of the character indicated it is sometimes necessary to disassemble the piston and cylinder for the purpose of replacing or adjusting the packing rings on the piston or for other purposes, The stufng boxes or glands that have heretofore been employed frequently include sectional packing rings, the adjustment and assembly of which, to establish the necessary steam tight joint between the piston rod and cylinder head, requires the expenditure of considerable time and skillful effort- When the pistons arel disassembled from the cylinders, it has been necessary, with prior constructions, to dismantle the sectional packing embodied in the stuffing box of the gland. Then when the engine is re-assembled, the sectional packing must also be re-assembled and adjusted.

The present invention proposes to so constitute and organize a stuffing box o-r packing gland that it is applicable to and removable from its cylinder head as a unit. The construction is such as to'permit the assembly and disassembly of the piston and cylinder without disturbing the assembly or adjustment of the packing.

In carrying out this purpose, the sectional packing rings and their springs or other associated parts are all contained within a packing housing. The follower, which coacts with the rings to adjust the packing, is adjustably interconnected with this housing. The housing, packing rings, and follower may be assembled with or disassembled from the cylinder head as a unit. When assembled with the cylinder head, the 'packing housing is releasably though securely attached thereto. This is accomplished by anging one end of the packing housing and engaging such anged end with a seat provided therefor on the cylinder head. The opposite end of the packing housing is threaded. A collar is provided for retaining the packing housing in seated position and has free running threaded engagement lwith the threaded end of the packing housing. Lock screws are threaded through the collar and coact with adjacent portions of the cylinder head to rigidly and securely fix theA parts in properly vassembled relation.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in central, vertical, longitudinal section, showing a steam engine having incorporated in its construction an improved stu'ing box or packing gland embodying the present invention, parts being shown in elevation for the sake of simplicity in illustration;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the combined stuflng box and guide embodying the present invention and also illustrating a fragment of the lower end head of the cylinder and associated parts. Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the steam engine there illustrated is of the vertical, double-acting, reciprocating type, but, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the novel features of the present invention are applicable to various other types.

The engine shown comprises generally a, frame or crank casing F, only a portion of which is illustrated. A cylinder C is supported above the crank case. A piston P is reciprocable in the cylinder and has a piston rod R projecting down through a combined stuffing box and piston rod guide A embodying the present invention. Below the stufling box and guide A the piston P is connected up to a cross head H and through the cross head operatively interconnects with a. connecting rod, a portion of which is designated at C. The details of these parts form no part of the present invention, and they are fully shown and described in my patent referred to above. y

The cylinder C is provided with a'steam inlet I which communicates with the center of a valve chest E. At the upper and lower ends of the valve chest E liners L and L are provided. Upper and lower steam inlet valves V and V are slidably fitted in the liners L and L' and respectively control the supply of steam to the upper and lower ends of the cylinder C. The steam is exhausted from the cylinder through the exhaust ports O under the control of the piston P. The exhaust ports O communicate with an exhaust manifold M which leads the exhaust N fromy the engine.

The outside of the cylinder C and its upper removable end head 50 are covered by layers of insulating material 5I and 52 enclosed in sheathing 53 and 54 of sheet metal. The sheathing 53 is surrounded by an outer casing 55 concentric with the center line of the cylinder C and in lspaced relation with the outer surface thereof.

ing 54. At the center of the cap 51 a baffled air discharge opening 58 is provided. The itting Which provides the baille air discharge openingissuitably secured to the cap 51' and is bolted or otherwise releasably secured to the upper end head 50 of the cylinder. The detailsof this con-A struction per se form no part of the present,A inf vention save for the fact thatthey, indicatecertain general features of the construction .namely the removability of the cap 51, the sheathing 54, and the upper end head 50 of the engine, suchv features bringing out the practical utility of the combined stuing box and guide embodying the present invention. f

The combined stufling box and piston-V rod guide-A, through which the piston rod R reciprocates,`v comprises a packing housing' designated generally at |00 and preferably in the form of a cylindrical bushing. The upper end ofl thepacking housing is provided with an outwardly directed, annular, rabbeted flange |0.|. In the assembly, this ange' ||l|`v engages a similarly formed seat provided around the inner margin of the center opening of the lower end head' ofthe cylinder C. The interengaging surfaces of the flange |0| and its seat are a ground t to insure ahermetic seal in the assembly. Interfltted with thev upper end of the bushing |00 is a`sleeve-'like piston rod guide |02. The guide |02' is provided at itslower end with an integral, outwardly directed, annular flange |03, which engages ywith an internal flange at the upper-endl ofthe bushlng`v or housing |005.A Sectional metallic packing |04 is provided and isentirely housed and combined with the bushing or housing |00; f While this packing may be of any suitable'type, usually itis, as indicated, metallic andsectional, and its segment or rings'` and springs, or other parts thatgo to vmake it up, must be carefully assembledandthen'properly compressed. yIn the present construction the uppermost element of the sectionalmetallic packing engages the lower end ofthe sleeve |02; A follower ldengages the lowermost element ofthe sectionalmetallic packing, and` is threadedly interconnected with the housingv |00l, or otherwise suitably adjustably interconnected therewith sovthat it may be turned of'` adjusted to hold they sectional metallic packing in proper position and subject it to theproper pressure.

The bushing or housing |00V projectsdownwardly beyond the lowerV end head'of the cylinder and its lowerv projecting portionis externally threaded so as to be adaptedv to be threadedly engaged with an internally threaded collar |045. The collar |00 has a free. running threaded engagementv with the` bushing so that the collar may bereadily turned up on or backed upt off the bushing; Lock screws |01', equipped with lock nuts `|0`B, .are threaded through thecollafl andlbear against the lower cylinder head to rmly secure the bushing or housing |00, packing` |04, guide sleeve |02, and follower |05, as a unitary sellcontained structure in proper position'on the-lowerendheadof the cylinder.

Byv loosening the lock nuts |08,- and slightly backing off the lockv screws |01; the collar |06 may, be readilyspun off the bushing` to allow` the bushing with,Y its assembled packing |011,v guide |02,\andlfol1ower |05 to be pulled'upthrough-the cylinderVA C-without dismantling the packing4v |04 of the upper end head 50.

or disturbing its' adjustment. Of course, this disassembly of the structure requires the removal With the collar |06 removed from the bushing, these parts, as will be seen from the drawing, will pass readily up through the opening in the lower end head. The fittings shown diagrammatically in the drawing, and associated'with the follower |05, for lubri- 'K cating and'draning the metallic packing |04, are

ofcourse uncoupled.

It will'benoted that the metallic packing |04 has; its lower `rings constituted to provide scrapers adapted to scrape off any moisture from the piston rod, and any such moisture is carried off by the draining fitting with which the follower of the stuflingbox is equipped.

Access to the lock nuts |08, screws |01,.andcol lar` |06 and associated parts, is then had by removingone of the cover plates 91 releasaby securedby bolts over openings or hand-holes provided opposite these removable parts in both the front and rear sides of the. crank case.

While I have shown and described' one construction. in whichthe invention may be advantageously embodied, it is to be understood that the construction shown has been selected merely for the purpose of illustration or example, and that various changes in the size, shape, and arrangement'of parts may be made without departing? from the spirit ofthe invention'or thescope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A combined self-contained stuffing box assembly and guide applicable to and removable from the opening of an end head of4 a cylinder as a unit and comprising a packing housing constituted of a cylindrical bushing, means on the exterior of the inner end ofthe bushing abutting and having sealing engagement with the inner margin of the opening of the end head, the bushing also'having an internal annular flange at its inner end', a sleeve-like. guide having a flanged end inter-engaged with said internal flange and adaptedto provide a guide for a piston rodV and also functioning as an' abutment for packing, packing housed in the bushing and having one end abutting.v the flanged'end of the sleeve-like guide, a follower engageable with the opposite. end of the packing forv compressing the same, the outer end of the bushingprojecting beyond the end head and readilyreleasable means co-actin'gwith theV projecting end of the bushingV and with the end'head for securing the bushing assembledwith the end head. Y

2. A-self-contained combined stuiing box assembly and guide applicable to and removable froznthe opening of an end'head of la cylinder as a` unit and'comprising a packing housing. in the form'of `a cylindrical bushing, the inner endA of the bushingV having an outwardly directed annular. ralcbeted4 flange -adapted to have sealing engagement with a correspondingly formed seat yaround"Y the inner marginbfthe opening ofthe end. head, saidbushing having an internal, `annular ange at theinnerend-thereof, a sleeve-like guide having` a flanged end inter-engaged with said-'internal flange and providing a guide fora piston rod projecting inwardly. beyond the inner end ofsaid bushing and also providing within said bushing anabutment for packing, packing housed in the bushing and having one end abutting the flanged end of the sleeve-like guidegva followerengageable with the opposite end of the packing and threadedly` interconnected with rthe interior-of the bushing, the outer end of the bushing being externally threaded and projecting beyond the end head, an internally threaded collar having free running threaded engagement with the external- 1y threaded end of the bushing so that the collar may be readily turned up on or backed off of the bushing, lock screws threaded through the collar and adapted to bear against the end head to firmly secure the bushing assembled with the end head and lock nuts for securing the lock screws in position whereby by loosening the lock nuts and slightly backing off the lock screws, the collar may be readily spun off the bushing to allow the stufling box to be assembled with and disassembled from the end head without dismantling the packing or disturbing its adjustment.

EVERETT C. READ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

Number 20 Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Misic et a1. Oct. 20, 1891 Penfold Jan. 26, 1904 Storle Mar. 21, 1905 Siegert May 29, 1934 Chrichton May 17, 1898 Read Nov. 3, 1942 Ferguson Sept. 30, 1930 Carlson July 5, 1932 Sommers et al. Sept. 19, 1933 Walter Aug. 10, 1943 Monroe Feb. 5, 1884 Bodinson Oct. 5, 1915 Barker Sept. 3, 1895 Metzgar June 1, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1888 Great Britain July 15, 1937 

